Terry Bowden is following through on a promise, and area high school football coaches are taking notice.
Bowden has yet to coach a game for the University of Akron, but he and his staff have made a positive impression locally.
“They are making a commitment to reaching out to the area,” Green coach Ed Cybak said after senior wide receiver Andrew Pratt committed to UA. “They came in when they took the job at Akron and said they were going to look at local players in the Summit County and Stark County area. They didn’t want to miss out on any players in the area that had the talent to play at that level.”
Buchtel coach Ricky Powers pointed to Terry Bowden’s connection to his father, Bobby Bowden, a legendary coach at West Virginia and Florida State, as an asset for UA.
“I think it’s a great hire,” Powers said. “It makes sense. Shoot, he is a Bowden. If he can’t have success there, I don’t know if anybody can.”
UA named Bowden coach Dec. 22, and he has since snagged four local player: Pratt along with offensive linemen Curtis Black of Kent Roosevelt, Quaison Osborne of Hudson and Kevin Mills of Canton McKinley.
“The first week they were there he said the coaches were going to recruit more locally,” Kent Roosevelt coach John Nemec said. “I had an opportunity to meet [defensive line] coach Todd Stroud. They emphasized that they wanted local flavor in recruiting and they hired one of my favorite guys Trent Boykin [as running backs coach]. I coached him and he is a hall of famer at Kent Roosevelt.
“Coach Bowden came out to our school and Stroud and Boykin have been in at different times. They seem to really want to get after it with the local kids. I am very impressed with their work and the effort they have made in bringing in local recruits.”
Firestone coach Tim Flossie also likes the strategy Bowden is utilizing.
“They are really organized and I heard they were going to have each coach recruit from seven area schools,” Flossie said. “I think that is a great idea. We haven’t seen that. They seem to want to hit on all of the schools.
“I met with [safety] coach Mike Woodford and [defensive coordinator] Chuck Amato called me on the phone. I stopped down by campus the other day and talked with coach Bowden. They are all real nice people.”
Cybak said building relationships with area coaches is vital for a program’s success.
“I think when you are a school like Akron or any other school similar to Akron, you have to recruit like this,” Cybak said. “We have such good players in this area. Football is important. We have kids that are coached up very well. You have some high quality kids. These kids can help you win and people will come out and watch the local kids play.”
Tallmadge coach Joe Vassalotti said he has chatted with Boykin a couple of times and noticed UA’s renewed interest in local players.
“Akron has a plan to recruit the immediate area,” Vassalotti said. “I think there are a lot of good football players in this area that can help them. It is an exciting time for the Zips. I am looking forward to seeing them play in the fall on the field.”
Bowden’s winning background at every college at which he has coached, including Auburn, is also intriguing.
“My first reaction was that everywhere he has been, he has been successful,” Walsh Jesuit coach Gerry Rardin said. “He knows what to do to be successful and that is a big plus. I thought that was a good sign.”
Archbishop Hoban coach Ralph Orsini and St. Vincent-St. Mary coach Dan Boarman said they have met with members of Bowden’s staff. Both envision UA improving quickly.
“It is exciting to have someone with his reputation here at Akron,” Orsini said. “From what I understand, he looks at the Akron area and Northeast Ohio as a whole as a mecca of football. He wants to look at the local kids and make sure he doesn’t miss on any.”
Said Boarman: “They are going after the Northeast Ohio kids and I hope it continues. I hope they realize the quality of football in the area. I think Bowden will get the job done.”
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/varsity_letters/. Also follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ.
